About Me

I have spent the first half of my career
as a pastor of the church, and the second half as a teacher in the university and the church. I experience much satisfaction working in both worlds. As I engage in ongoing research to support my third activity which is writing, I am constantly finding many interesting items on the net and from friends which I edit and share on my Colleagues List. That way, you too might enjoy information from the worlds of religion and culture. As of September 2016, this profile has received almost 1,800 hits.
Thanks for your interest!
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Friday, March 25, 2011

Colleagues List, March 26th, 2011

Vol. VI. No. 28*****In this IssueSpecial Item This Week -

"The Universal Spirituality of Classical Music"___Colleague Contributions:Ryan SlifkaTony ParelMartin MartyMonica Kilburn-Smith___Net Notes:Ratzinger and KungReligion and Obesity LinkedObama Visits Grave of RomeroMustard Seed Pioneer Moves OnBook of Mormon Opens on BroadwayMass in B Minor Consoles JapaneseRights Council Affirms Freedom of BeliefMcLaren Provides a Safe Harbor for DoubtJerusalem Bomb Victim UK Bible TranslatorUK Concerned About Creationism in SchoolsUK Humanists Want Change in Census Questions_____Global Faith Potpourri:Twelve ENI stories appear this week._____Quotes of the Week:Provided courtesy of Sojourners.online:Joan Chittister, Thomas Merton,Aung San Suu Kyi, Thomas Berryand Marilynne Robinson- offer this week's reflection-pieces_____On This Day: (March 20th - March 25th)Provided courtesy of the archivesof the New York Times:March 20, 1995 - Poisonous Gas Attack in TokyoMarch 21, 1965 - MLK Leads Rights March from SelmaMarch 23, 1965 - First US Two-Person Space LaunchMarch 24, 1989 - Worst US Oil Spill - Exxon ValdezMarch 25, 1965 - MLK Arrives in Montgomery, Ala.Read these stories as they actually unfolded.___Closing Thought - Colleagues List DangerWayne**************Dear Friends:Heading through the season of Lent Iwould like to share with you this weeksome thoughts I have been pondering onthe subject of the international valueof classical religious music.What prompted this was the appearanceat Carnegie Hall, New York of the BachCollegium of Japan for a benefit concertin support of the beleaguered people ofthat nation.Many of us have friends who are goingthrough similar trauma as those at theNew York concert and this is a timelyreflection, it seems to me.___Colleague Contributions:Ryan Slifka (Halifax), Tony Parel (Calgary),Martin Marty (Chicago) and Monica Kilburn-Smith(Calgary) have special letters and links toshare with you this week.Anticipated seminary studies, thoughts onGandhi and culture, Holy land images anda close-to-home media investigation of theWomenpriest movement are included here.___Net Notes:"Ratzinger and Kung" - here are two Germanswith much more in common than might seempossible because of the stormy historyseparating the two (Ucan News)"Religion and Obesity Linked" - are the morereligious among us really couch potatoes?A recent study suggests as much(Chicago Sun Times)"Obama Visits Grave of Romero" - when the USpresident visited the grave of Oscar Romeroin El Salvador this week, the event promptedmixed reaction (ENI, National Catholic Reporter)"Mustard Seed Pioneer Moves On" - fromstreet person to Order of Canada recipientin less than three decades - is howCalgarian Pat Nixon might be described.Rough edges and all - he evokes respect(ChristianWeek.org)"Book of Mormon Opens on Broadway" - asignal of the domestication of Mormonismappears this week with the opening of amusical on this growing US - based religion(Salt Lake Times)"Mass in B Minor Consoles Japanese" -as noted in my 'special item' column thisweek, the appearance of the Bach Collegiumof Japan at Carnegie Hall was poignant(New York Times)"Rights Council Affirms Freedom of Belief"- the United Nations reaffirms freedom ofreligion as one of the basic human rights(Ucan News)"McLaren Provides a Safe Harbor for Doubt"- emergent church leader Brian McLaren wasin Winnipeg this week with reassurance forthose who live with religious doubts in achurch environment that usually discouragespersonal doubt (ChristianWeek.org)"Jerusalem Bomb Victim UK Bible Translator" -a British woman, on her way to Africa - andtaking Hebrew language studies in the HolyLand - was one of this week's bombing victims(The Guardian, UK)"UK Concerned About Creationism in Schools"- in the UK, Free Schools are a sub-unit ofthe Private (which we call Public) schools.Some government officials fear that the'science' of creationism is being taughtin such schools (The Guardian, UK)"UK Humanists Want Change in Census Questions"- another sign of the growing influence ofsecular thinking in Great Britain(The Guardian, UK)_____Global Faith Potpourri:Twelve ENI stories appear this week._____Quotes of the Week:Provided courtesy of Sojourners.online:Joan Chittister, Thomas Merton,Aung San Suu Kyi, Thomas Berryand Marilynne Robinson- offer this week's reflection-pieces_____On This Day: (March 20th - March 25th)Read these stories provided courtesyof the New York Times archives:Poisonous Gas Attack in Tokyo (1995)MLK Leads Rights March from Selma (1965)First US Two-Person Space Launch (1965)Worst US Oil Spill - Exxon Valdez (1989)MLK Arrives in Montgomery, Ala. (1965)Consider them, as they actually unfolded.___Closing Thought -Consider the danger reading Colleagues List!Wayne************************SPECIAL ST. DAVID'S LINKSContact us at: asdm@sduc.ca (or)admin@sduc.caSt. David's Web Address -http://sduc.ca/Listen to audio recordings of Sunday services -http://sduc.ca/services.htm___ST DAVID'S ACTS WEB PAGECreated and maintained by ColleagueJock McTavishhttp://stdavidscalgary.net/__INTRODUCING OURST.DAVID'S WINTER STUDY FOR 2011Books Considered:"An Altar in the World" by Barbara Brown Taylor(and)"I Shall Not Hate - A Gaza Doctor's Journey" by Izzeldin AbuelaishMore study and website particulars willbe posted as they become available.Classes are well underway!Here is the link to the session design:http://tinyurl.com/46eyn5jHere is a TV Ontario Interview withDr. Abuelaish provided by Bookbrowse.com:http://tinyurl.com/4nbdreg*****INTRODUCING MY UNIVERSITYWINTER COURSE FOR 2011GOD, ATHEISM, AND MORALITYWe continue our investigation of theNew Atheists and consider the question:"Can we be good without God?"Text for the course will be Sam Harris'new book:"The Moral Landscape: How Science Can Determine Human Values" (Free Press, October, 2010)Supplementary text:"Godless Morality" by Richard Holloway (Canongate (new edition) 2009)Course description and registrationinformation:http://tinyurl.com/2fc7xr4Classes ending well. A great grouprepresenting a gamut of believersthrough atheists. I have been learningmuch from them and will post insightsat the end of the sessions.*****UNIVERSITY LENTEN STUDY FOR 2011A Joint Project of the Multi-FaithChaplains and St. David's ACTS MinistryThis Year's Subject:"Community and Growth" by Jean Vanier.The book first appeared in 1989 andcontinues to be widely read.Learn from Vanier's years of experiencein L'Arche communities around the world.This book will be of interest to thosewho seek insights for living andworking together in a pluralisticsociety such as our own.This study is for university faculty,staff and interested students. It runsfor six weeks.Time: Thursdays, 12 noon to 1:00PM March 3rd through April 7th, 2011Cost: Free. Copies of the book available for purchase, courtesy of the Christian Reformed Chaplaincy and thanks to Paul VerhoefLocation: Small Board Room, Native Centre, McEwan Student Centre.Vanier book study link:http://tinyurl.com/4hkv66x*****REMINDER:ST. DAVID'S 50th ANNIVERSARYTOUR OF CELTIC LANDS - 2011We plan a 15-day tour of special Celtic sitesin Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England -April 26th - May 10th, 2011.A highlight of the tour will be a visit toSt. David's Cathedral, Pembrokeshire. Choirmembers from our group will sing at variousinformal cathedral events through the dayand at Evening Prayers on Saturday, May 7th!We have 25 choristers signed up as part ofthe tour group. This special choir beganrehearsals in late January - led by ourcongregation's music director, Brent Tucker.Details have been finalized with St. David'sCathedral dean, Fr. Jonathan Lean. We arebeing warmly welcomed!We are also planning to sing while visitingother locations on our tour. More detailsto follow.36 PLACES HAVE BEEN FULLY REGISTERED ANDPAID, AN IDEAL SIZE FOR THE TOURJanuary 26th was the deadline for alltrip payments - 90 days before departure.We have started an interest list for other,future tours!Let me know if you are interested in learningmore about exciting, spiritual tourism! Thisis a cutting edge ministry at St. David's.We hope to do many more of these tours in future!Take a look at the St. David's, Wales Sacred Site:http://tinyurl.com/4gbg35t*****STUDY ARCHIVESA collection of twenty-five+ studies conductedsince 2000 can quickly be found at:http://bookstudies.stdavidscalgary.net/This collection of study resources representsa decade of Monday Night Studies at St. David's,plus extra courses too!You are welcome to use our course outlines,class notes and resource pages in your personaland group reflections.******************************************SPECIAL ITEMTHE UNIVERSAL SPIRITUALITYOF CLASSICAL MUSICThis week, the Bach Collegium of Japan gavea special guest performance at New York'sCarnegie Hall during a festival series entitled:"JapanNYC."As the New York Times reported (see "net notes"below) "... the festival was dedicated to thevictims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.To that end, there could not have been a moreconsoling work than Bach's Mass in B Minor."The Times went on to say that the performers hadcome from their stricken country to present thispiece to a New York audience, and this lent aspecial emotional resonance to the music.To the critic who wrote in the Times, the eveningperformance was admirable and often beautiful.When the conductor Masaaki Suzuki founded thecollegium in 1990, he was a pioneer in bringingperiod-instrument performances to modern Japaneseaudiences. The group has long been highly regarded.Mr. Suzuki and his ensemble have been recording anextensive series of Bach works on the Swedishlabel Bis, and I am the happy owner of theirrecent "Bach and Beyond" box set of 15 discs.(purchase information at the end of this article.)---For more information on the group visit -Bach Collegium of Japan Website:http://tinyurl.com/6dctwt3I am playing one of these discs as I write andit is a lovely interpretation of one of thefamous German composer's great works. Theseinclude his Magnificat and lovely choruses frommany of his sacred contatas - written for worshipservices in the Thomas Church of Leipzig. Thissequence is entitled: "A Choral Year With Bach""The chorus, made up of 50 Japanese and otherinternational performers made clear its purposefrom the opening Kyrie eleison, which beginswith the chorus, fortified by the orchestra,singing anguished cries of "Lord, have mercy.""It was, over all," wrote the Times criticAnthony Tommasini, "an involving, insightfuland honest performance... and the audience,clearly moved, gave the courageous visitorsfrom Japan a long ovation."---This is but one example of many I might noteto suggest that the phenomenon of sharingwhat was originally Western classical spiritualmusic has now become international.Several years ago, one of Calgary's largestChinese evangelical churches sponsored a fullorchestra and chorus production of Handel'sMessiah with equally pleasing response as theJapanese presentation just noted.Nowadays, especially during the seasons ofChristmas and Easter, it is possible to attendquality performances of classical religiousmusic composed by notables like Vivaldi,Beethoven and Haydn, but also from North andSouth American, and the more-recently contributingnations of Austral-Asia, the Arab world and Africa.The value of particular kinds of folk musicaside, "classical music" has emerged to connectpeople from all parts of the globe. It isalready becoming the possession of many wholive beyond its original European settings.---Is it possible to enjoy these compositionsof masses, requiems and cantatas withoutplumbing deeply the religious words thatmake up the text of these compositions?Of course it is. I commented recently tomy partners in the Chamber Choir at St. David'sCalgary to which I belong, that it is betterthat we NOT know some of the words like the'burning in hell' parts of Mozart's Requiem!(It is, of course, from the classic Latin mass.)Sometimes it is possible to sing things wewould not be able to say with conviction.Still, I believe that some of the profoundmeanings from these classical texts carry withthem something that any human can be exposed towith spiritual benefit.You don't have to believe in God, or in theChristian faith, to value the experience of Vaughan Williams' or Bernstein's sacred music.It is possible to view such things purely asan art form, bereft of religious connotations.But spirituality knows no human boundaries andthe universal truths inherent in such musicis bound to seep into human hearts and minds,without reference to race, colour or creed.I celebrate this development when many mightdisparage the results of global culture.---To purchase the music for yourself:"Bach and Beyond Collegium Japan"Limited Edition, boxed set of 15 CDsArkiv Music Online:http://tinyurl.com/4oml4qnAmazon.ca Music:http://tinyurl.com/4el6tc6*****COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONSRYAN SLIFKAHalifax, NSMarch 18th, 2011Wayne,I hope all is well in Calgary and atSt. David's. Here's an article I thoughtmight interest your readership.It's brilliant:http://tinyurl.com/47dyoutI'm headed to VST (Vancouver School ofTheology) this fall for my MDiv, finally.An exciting time.Hope things are well with you, body mindand spirit.PeaceRyan_____TONY PARELCalgary, ABMarch 19th, 2011Dear Wayne,I read about your fast approachingpilgrimage to Celtic lands. It is awonderful way of combining spiritualitywith aesthetic pleasure and renewingcontact with cultural roots.When secularism is parading itself asthe only valid approach to culture, itis wonderful that you think otherwise.Gandhi is very much in your company.He wanted to harmonize secular cultureand spiritual culture. I would say thatharmonizing the two, or at leastattempting to harmonize the two, isone of his major legacies to the world.He saw radical secularism as a foolishattempt to explain the intricacies ofculture.Warm regards to Marlene.Have a good trip to the UK.Tony___MARTIN MARTYChicago, ILSightings 3/21/2011"Jerusalem, Jerusalem"Jerusalem, Jerusalem is not about Jerusalemthe city. Guidebooks abound and histories areplentiful. What author James Carroll was movedto write is a reflection that deals withJerusalem both as real and as metaphor. Hedoes not exactly do justice to or make muchof his subtitle: How the Ancient City IgnitedOur Modern World, but his reflections willignite at least sparks in the minds of readerswho want to ponder with him the question:what is it about religion, with all thesolace-bringing good its various forms canbring, that also prompts and promotesviolence of most barbaric sorts?Marty's article:http://tinyurl.com/4j63jklNew York Times Review, March 18th, 2011http://tinyurl.com/4djb5qe*****MONICA KILBURN-SMITHCalgary, ABUpdate on Womenpriest movement"Crime Against Religion"Global TV VideoMarch 24th, 2011http://tinyurl.com/4cgyjlj**********************GLOBAL FAITH POTPOURRIRATZINGER AND KUNGParallel and Different LivesUcan NewsMarch 24th, 2011http://tinyurl.com/4g48u6o*****RELIGION AND OBESITY LINKEDChicago Sun TimesMarch 24th, 2011http://tinyurl.com/4cagvns*****OBAMA VISITS GRAVE OF OSCAR ROMEROENI New ReportMarch 24th, 2011Obama praised, criticizedfor Romero commemorationNew York (ENI news) - U.S. President BarackObama's visit earlier this week to the tombof the late Oscar Romero, the martyredarchbishop who was assassinated 31 years agoon 24 March, is getting mixed reviews by U.S.commentators.On 22 March, the U.S. president, while on atwo-day visit to El Salvador and accompaniedby Salvadoran President Mauricio Funes, visitedthe tomb of Romero, who was killed after hecriticized the U.S.-supported Salvadoranmilitary, which had been aligned with deathsquads during a civil war that killed morethan 75,000 persons.---What would Romero say to Obama?US Has a Sad History in El SalvadorNational Catholic ReporterMarch 24th, 2011http://tinyurl.com/4bsnycd*****MUSTARD SEED PIONEER MOVES ONPat Nixon Steps Down After 26 YearsChristianWeek.orgMarch 22nd, 2011http://tinyurl.com/4nd7c6r*****BOOK OF MORMON MUSICALOPENS ON BROADWAYSalt Lake TimesMarch 25th, 2011Latter Day Saints PenetrateAmerican World of Culturehttp://tinyurl.com/4sjf9qn*****MASS IN B MINOR CONSOLES JAPANESEJapan's Bach Collegium at Carnegie HallNew York TimesMar. 24th, 2010In a Mass, a Cradle of Consolation for JapanThat the performers of Bach Collegium Japanhad come from their stricken country topresent Bach's Mass in B minoron Tuesdaylent added emotional resonance to the music.http://tinyurl.com/4ba9ggq*****HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL UPHOLDSFREEDOM OF BELIEFReligion as a basic rightUcan NewsMarch 25th, 2011http://tinyurl.com/4e6wgkx*****MCLAREN CREATES A SAFE PLACE FOR DOUBTControversial Leader Appeals in WinnipegChristianWeek.orgMarch 18th, 2011http://tinyurl.com/6gp6ecd*****JERUSALEM BOMB VICTIMWAS UK BIBLE TRANSLATOROn her way to AfricaThe Guardian, UKMarch 25th, 2011http://tinyurl.com/4rudk3r---Palestinians at Worst and BestSojourners OnlineMarch 24th, 2011http://tinyurl.com/46o59jp*****UK GOVERNMENT CONCERNED ABOUTCREATIONISM IN FREE SCHOOLSFears of FundamentalismThe Guardian, UKMarch 21st, 2011http://tinyurl.com/4wejbsw*****UK HUMANISTS WANT CHANGEIN CENSUS QUESTIONSSecularism on the RiseThe Guardian, UKMarch 21st, 2011http://tinyurl.com/4o6t3vb*****GLOBAL FAITH POTPOURRIEcumenical News InternationalNews Highlights21 March 2011Muslims in Britain urged to unite anddefeat IslamophobiaLondon (ENI news) Britain's 1.8 million Muslimshave been urged to build bridges with other faithcommunities and society as a whole in order todefeat the forces responsible for Islamophobiain the media._____Nurse from rural Zambia awardedSwiss leadership prizeGeneva (ENI news) - Zambian nurse Agnes LisuloMulemwa on 20 March was honored in Geneva forhelping women in her rural community raise theirstandard of living, train to become leaders andsupport health care.The World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC)and the women presidents of regional Swiss Reformedchurches awarded Mulemwa the Sylvia Michel Prize,which includes a cash award of US$5,000. The prizeis named for the first woman to be elected presidentof a Swiss cantonal (regional) church._____On World Water Day, student Christian group focuseson 'water justice'New York (ENI news) -Humanitarian and advocacy groupsare marking the 22 March commemoration of World WaterDay with renewed focus on the need for "water justice.""The global water crisis is going to be one of the'hot topics' and key issues of the 21st century,"Luciano Kovacs, the North America Regional Secretaryof the World Student Christian Federation, told ENInews that "Water could become the oil of the 21st century."*****22 March 2011Orthodox churches find it difficultto overcome differencesMoscow (ENI news) - Diptychs, an arcane liturgicalterm that describes the order in which Orthodoxchurches commemorate each other at their services,is one of the tangled issues blocking plans forwhat could be the first great church council in1,200 years.Some Orthodox leaders say the churches need to gettogether to discuss common issues and speak withone voice on such important topics as bioethics,sexuality and the environment, but differencesover arcane church issues such as diptychs andautocephaly (the independent status of Orthodoxchurches) run deep.*****23 March 2011Catholic nun to head Norway's council of churchesOslo, Norway (ENI news) - Sister Else-Britt Nilsen,64, a Dominican nun, has been elected the firstRoman Catholic to moderate the Christian Councilof Norway, the national daily Vaart Land reported.The council spans most nationwide churches, fromOrthodox to Pentecostals, in a country where 78per cent of the 5 million inhabitants belong tothe Lutheran state church._____Elements of Anglican, Lutheran worship will marka decade of communionNew York (ENI news) - Elements of Anglican andLutheran worship will mark celebrations on 1 Mayof a decade of full communion relationshipsbetween the Episcopal Church and EvangelicalLutheran Church in America and, in Canada, theAnglican Church of Canada and the EvangelicalLutheran Church in Canada._____Anti-Christian violence continues in PakistanNew York (ENI news) - Anti-Christian violencein Pakistan continued to take a toll as twoChristians were shot and killed and two werewounded after Muslim youths allegedly attackedthem outside a church building in Hyderabad on22 March, according to reports in Christianmedia.*****24 March 2011Latin American Council seekingto strengthen youth workNew York (ENI news) - The Latin American Councilof Churches (CLAI) Youth Pastoral Ministry saidthat over the next three years it will beseeking to strengthen its work in Central andSouth America. A "Guide for Youth Workshopson the Millennium Development Goals" shortlywill be made available to the Latin Americanpublic, said the council, which is based inQuito, Ecuador. Work on the guide began inNovember 2010._____Churches in Japan recovering in the midst ofecumenical spiritNew York (ENI news) - As recovery efforts inJapan proceed, the full impact of the earthquakeand tsunami two weeks ago continues to be feltby many churches that are providing disasterrelief while grieving lost members and buildings.At the same time, prayers, letters of solidarityand donations are coming in from the ecumenicalcommunity in Asia as well as around the world.*****

25 March 2011

Shevchuk elected head of Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church

New York (ENI news) - The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church announced that the Most Rev. Sviatoslav Shevchuk was elected Major Archbishop at an electoral synod of bishops held from 21 to 24 March. _____

Churches march to recall Argentina's dark days of dictatorship

Toronto, Canada (ENI news) - Church members joined thousands of marchers in Buenos Aires' Plaza de Mayo (May Square) to mark 35 years since a military coup overthrew Argentina's elected government and installed a dictatorship that left up to 30,000 people dead or missing. _____

Woman to be first permanent Church of Norway presiding bishop

Oslo (ENI news) - Bishop Helga Haugland Byfuglien, 60, was appointed on 25 March to the new office of permanent presiding bishop of the (Lutheran) Church of Norway, the Norwegian Ministry of Church Affairs reported. She will be based in Nidaros (Trondheim) and will be installed in her new office on 2 October this year.

*****QUOTES OF THE WEEKProvided courtesy of Sojourners.onlineMarch 21st, 2011"The vision of a culture lies in what becomesits major institutions, in what it remembers as its most impacting events, in who it seesas its heroes."- Joan Chittister---March 22nd, 2011"The deepest level of communication is notcommunication, but communion. It is wordless.It is beyond words, and it is beyond speech,and it is beyond concept. Not that we discovera new unity. We discover an older unity. Mydear Brothers [and Sisters], we are alreadyone. But we imagine that we are not. And whatwe have to recover is our original unity.What we have to be is what we are."- Thomas Merton---March 23rd, 2011"We will surely get to our destination if we join hands."- Aung San Suu Kyi---March 25th, 2011"Nothing true can be said about God from a posture of defense."- Marilynne Robinson, from book "Gilead"*****March 24th, 2011"There is need for awareness that the mountainsand rivers and all living things, the sky and itssun and moon and clouds all constitute a healing,sustaining sacred presence for humans which theyneed as much for their psychic integrity as fortheir physical nourishment."- Thomas Berry*****ON THIS DAYMarch 20, 1995 - in Tokyo, 12 people werekilled, more than 5,500 others sickened whenpackages containing the poisonous gas sarinleaked on five separate subway trains.http://tinyurl.com/47g49gk_____March 21, 1965 - more than 3,000 civil rightsdemonstrators led by the Rev. Martin LutherKing Jr. began their march from Selma toMontgomery, Ala.http://tinyurl.com/4eqs26s_____March 23, 1965 - America's first two-personspace flight began as Gemini 3 blasted offfrom Cape Kennedy with astronauts Virgil I.Grissom and John W. Young aboard.http://tinyurl.com/643xr5f_____March 24, 1989 - America's worst oil spilloccurred as the supertanker Exxon Valdez ranaground on a reef in Alaska's Prince WilliamSound and began leaking 11 million gallonsof crude.http://tinyurl.com/4jdqa5f_____March 25, 1965 - Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.led 25,000 marchers to the state capitol inMontgomery, Ala., to protest the denial ofvoting rights to blacks.http://tinyurl.com/4kfdmuk*****CLOSING THOUGHTColleagues List Danger:"Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from e-mail."(end)